About the Museum

Stephanie Arduini, Executive Director

Stephanie Arduini has worked in museum and informal education for two decades, fostering learning in museums through everything from costumed interpretation and K-12 outreach education, to professional development and community partnerships. Her work has engaged with learning audiences of all ages and backgrounds, from early childhood programs through senior adults with memory loss.

Her career has specialized in creating opportunities for people to connect with stories and each other through Museums, especially in ways that help them better navigate their current world. Most recently, she served as the Deputy Director and the Director of the Edward L. Ayers Center for Civil War & Emancipation Studies at the American Civil War Museum (Richmond, VA). In that capacity, she oversaw the museum’s work to present a more accurate, inclusive, and relevant interpretation of the history through its education, programming, exhibits, and collections. She held previous positions at the Pacific Science Center (Seattle, WA), Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation (Williamsburg, VA), and Mackinac State Historic Parks (Mackinac Island, MI), and performed contract and volunteer work at organizations that included the National Park Service, Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, and American Alliance of Museums.

She currently serves on the board of the American Alliance of Museum’s Education professional network. She has a Master’s degree in Museum Education from George Washington University, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Michigan. She is an avid baker who loves to travel, learn about birds and astrophysics, and play board games with her spouse and two kids.

Andrew Mathews, President, Board of Trustees

Andy Mathews is a commercial lawyer with years of experience providing pragmatic and outcome-oriented legal and compliance advice. He has led the legal departments of two different Seattle-area real estate companies, including in his current role as General Counsel of John L. Scott Real Estate. He also provides pro bono legal services to refugees seeking asylum in the U.S. as a volunteer attorney with a prominent immigrant rights organization.

Andy joined the Board of Trustees in 2017, and was elected president in 2020, just as the pandemic emerged. The museum closed to protect staff and visitors, and to comply with city and state guidelines, but Andy has fond memories of bringing his two kids to the Museum in the early 2010’s and looks forward to welcoming back the next generation of young visitors as the Museum reopens.

Alissa Rupp, FAIA, Consultant

Alissa Rupp is an architect, planner and facilitator, and is a leader in the design of places for community building, informal education and lifelong learning. She works with the conviction that we can improve public life through the serious work of creating spaces where art, nature, culture, and especially play, intersect. Her values include equity, universal access, interdisciplinary thinking, collaboration and co-creation.

Alissa’s early career was forged in children’s museums; her positions on staff at the Boston and Seattle Children’s Museums led her to pursue a career in architecture and exhibit development. Since then, her goal has been to serve the field of Informal Education through design, strategic planning and thoughtfully executed capital projects. She has worked with many spaces dedicated to kids and families, including: KidsQuest Children’s Museum in Bellevue, Hands On Children’s Museum in Olympia, Discovery Children’s Museum in Las Vegas, Kidspace in Pasadena, Kids on 8! and Run, 2, 3! in Hong Kong, and Bay Club Kids’ Zone in Mumbai.

She is pleased to return to Seattle Children’s Museum in an acting capacity, and to support this organization that was so important to her when she first arrived in the Pacific Northwest. She has confidence in the future of the museum, and looks forward to its re-emergence on the city’s arts and culture landscape.